Best resonator guitars: our pick of the best dobro guitars for blues, bluegrass and country

Close up of Gretsch resonator guitar on a blue wooden surface
(Image credit: Future)

If you’re looking for something a little different from your typical electro-acoustic guitar then you’re in the right place. The best resonator guitars offer something completely atypical from your usual six-string with their unique looks and exciting timbre that’s perfect for fingerstyle and slide guitar playing.

Sometimes called a resophonic guitar, the resonator generates its unique sound by taking the string vibrations and transferring them through the guitar bridge to one or more spinning metal cones in the guitar body. First coming into use in 1927, the resonator was designed to supplant the acoustic guitar by offering a louder unplugged volume that could compete with horns and percussion instruments of the time. 

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